Remember how fun and amazing it was to play multi-player games on GEnie? But it was so expensive; $12 per hour during the day (less at night) and it added up quickly. The people who were knew how to navigate this system? (There was no graphic user interface!) They were awesome. Cool. Ahead of their time. FINE, you want to say geeky? Say it! But I say, these people were pioneers.

This would be a good time to tell you that I hung out on USENet, The Well, and more. Whatever. Say what you will. Aliza will back me up.

Things really started to change when Myspace popped up. We made profiles and connected with our friends. It was fun…it wasn’t bulletin boards and geeks. It was for everyone. And it was pretty cool. Until it became overrun with kids and loud music that popped up when you clicked on anything.

We (the geeky crowd) were well positioned and waiting for a better, cooler option. And the options kept coming. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram. And a ton of options in between.

And each of these was pretty darn interesting until other people started joining. Right?

I’m exaggerating but you have to admit that a lot of people complain about the newbies and the inane conversation. Because before they joined? Total intellectual stimulation and creative banter. Now? Annoying banter, marketers and people who don’t get the etiquette.

All the cool kids have been poised and ready for the newest excitement and an excuse to move out of the mainstream online spaces. So ELLO!

Today, I watched my friends sign up in droves. I’ve been there for a bit now, but not active because actually? I don’t know exactly what to do there. The folks that beat me there were so cool and so creative and posted such gorgeous images that I was speechlessly in awe. But now, my friends are there. So, I’m talking.

If this doesn’t remind you of the playground, you’re not paying attention.

I can’t wait to see what happens, but if history is a good indicator, someone is going to get suspended, someone is going to get beat up, and someone (me) is going to trip and fall.